Various Artists: Higher Ground: Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert

The disasters that struck New Orleans this year affected all of us deeply. We've watched and read and listened intently as the news unfolded. Tragic stories and heroic adventures combined with political jibe to take over. This hasn't been about some group of strangers from afar; it's hit us hard, and the hurt is still with us.

The world has come together to rebuild what was, and to try to repair our heartfelt agony. Jazz at Lincoln Center's Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert of September 17 was one of the prescriptions that have been applied. It helps. Higher Ground features some of the movers and shakers in the jazz world. Each gives us a personalized note to carry home. The music calls for celebration and a return to normalcy. It may take time, but New Orleans will recover.

Wynton Marsalis, Wess Anderson, and Allen Toussaint interpret "Go to the Mardi Gras" with Art and Aaron Neville. The message is there. Diana Krall follows with a heartfelt invitation to visit "Basin Street," where the blues can be put aside and we can dream of better days. Dianne Reeves sings of "The House I Live In," and of its special place in our hearts.

Irvin Mayfield's "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," which he performs alone with piano accompaniment, stands out as the epitome of Higher Ground's message. Personal loss contributes to everything that we do. Mayfield dedicates this one to his father, who's still missing, and the heartfelt message is one that we can all feel deep inside.

Kent, Rachel, Stephanie, and Marlon Jordan deliver a beautiful interpretation of "Here's to Life" that reminds us of our losses and helps to provide us with the courage that we need to rebuild. That's what the concert meant then, and that's what this recording means to us every time we listen. Life goes on. We need emotional support in order to survive. The music gives us that and a whole lot more.

Track Listing: This Joy; Over There; Go to the Mardi Gras; Basin Street Blues; Never Die Young; The House I Live In; New Orleans Blues; I Think it's Going to Rain Today; Dippermouth Blues; I'm Gonna Love You Anyway; Is That All There Is?; Just a Closer Walk With Thee; Here's to Life; Blackwell's Message; Come Sunday.

I grew up listening to my father's Jazz records and listening to radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy

I grew up listening to my father's Jazz records and listening to radio. My dad was a musician for many years as a vocalist, bassist and drummer. His two uncles played in the Symphony of Reggio Calabria back in Italy. So music and jazz specifically have been a part of me since I was born. I love and perform in all styles of music from around the world. Improvisation in jazz is what drew me in, and still does as well as other genres that feature improvisation. A group of great musicians expressing themselves as one is the hallmark of great jazz and in fact all great music.